Snakes

Thailand has plenty of snakes. You will almost certainly not see one. They avoid people, they move away long before you arrive, and the overwhelming majority of encounters are a tail disappearing into a hedge.

Where they turn up

Gardens, pool surrounds, storm drains and long grass — anywhere quiet with cover and something to eat. They are more active after rain and in the early evening. Hotel grounds and villa gardens are landscaped and busy, which is exactly what snakes dislike.

If you find one

• Stop, and back away slowly. Give it room and it will take it.
• Do not try to move it, catch it, or kill it. Most bites happen to people attempting exactly that.
• Keep an eye on where it goes from a safe distance, then tell your hotel or villa manager. There are people who deal with this, and they will come.
• Bring pets and children inside first, before anything else.

Sensible habits

Use a torch when walking a garden path after dark, wear shoes rather than flip-flops on grass at night, and look before reaching into a shrub or under an outdoor sofa. That is genuinely the whole precaution.